Amount of blood ejected from the heart with each ventricular contraction. Affected by preload, contractility, and afterload.

3

Preload

The load that stretches the cardiac tissue before contraction.

4

Contractility

The intrinsit ability of the heart/myocardium to contract

5

Frank-Starling Law

The stroke volume of the heart increases in response to an increase in the volume of blood filling the heart. Increased volume stretches the ventricular wall causing the muscle to contract more forcefully.

6

Afterload

The degree of vascular resistance to ventricular contraction. Right heart is affected by pulmonary vascular resistance, left heart by systemic vascular resistance.